Maine Mountain Horse
History Origins Maine Mountain Horses were created in by Geneticist within Vault 98 to be used as mode of transportation because motor vehicles and all other Pre-War transportation infrastructure was all but non-existent in the post-war world. Thus Maine Mountain Horses as they were dubbed by the Geneticist who created them Robert De Petit a man of French-Maine Descent. Life In Vault 98 And Vault Town During their time a species solely able to be found within the confines of Vault 98 and Vault Town they were used as a quicker mode of transport for than walking for the Dwellers of Vault 98 or as pack animals used to transport supplies around Vault Town and Vault 98 or trade goods between Brandywine and Vault Town. But even as pack and riding animals they are still considered one of the most important assets at Vault 98’s disposal and as such they are cared for very well, with their being a dedicated brick building that is the stables along with around 20 Vault Dwellers and Vault Veterinarian which sole jobs are to care for the Horses. However after a while the number of Horses the Vault was breeding became greater than the number of horses the Vault needed and thus the Vault began selling Horses to those who purchased them and also gave 2 male and female horses to a Vault 98 Dweller who had greatly helped the Vault in the past, thus as such the Vault Dweller settled down and started a ranch where he bred the horses and sold them also. This ended up causing the Maine Mountain Horse to spread to areas outside of Vault 98 and Vault Town. Expansion Into The Wasteland By 2210 Maine Horses had spread all across Northern Maine and a bit to Southern Maine, but the majority of Maine Horses in Southern Maine were Wild Maine Horses from herds of Wild Maine Horses which wandered from Northern Maine into Southern Maine and thus not domesticated. Also around this time the first horse drive since before the Great War took place with 100 Horses from Vault Town\Vault 98 to Fort Kent after the Black Rain Coalition purchased 100 Horses and requested they be transported to Fort Kent. By 2215 Maine Horses had become the primary mode of transportation for Northern Maine with them replacing Brahmin and by 2200 Wild and Domesticated Maine Horses had spread to the entire Maine Wasteland and Western New Hampshire in very small numbers. However the spread of Wild Maine Horses is halted at the White Mountains and the only Maine Horses able to be found west of the White Mountains are domesticated, But even then they are only present in small numbers as Maine Mountain Horses are more suited for the Maine woodlands and cold thus they are more commonly found in Maine and just Maine as a result of the Horses being more accustomed to the Maine Cold and Woodlands. Description Attributes Maine Horses are usually Dark Brown, but they can be White or Black if they have the correct genes, however, Black and White horses are a very rare natural occurrence because both Parents have to have the White or Black color gene for their to be a chance of a White or Black colt to be born. Thus the majority of Black and White Maine Mountain Horses are the result of a horse breeder breeding two White or Black Horses. Also they are different from their Pre-War counterparts in the following ways: They are significantly more skinner and smaller in size and thus faster/more agile, they require far less food and water, they have much thicker and tougher hides, they have large manes to provide extra protection for the neck, they are taller beging between 5.5ft and 7ft on average. Defensive And Offensive Abilities Horses usually chose to flee instead of fight and usually get away but when they don't they have a very thick hide to protect them from attack along with powerful legs which can cave in a grown man's skull. Uses By Humans There are certain jobs that Maine horses do very well, and no technology has yet developed to fully replace them. For example, Horse Mounted Vault Police are very effective for certain types of patrol duties and crowd control. Local Cattle Ranches in Maine still require riders on horseback to round up cattle that are scattered across their land. Horses are also widely used in Maine because the cost or lack of motor or rail transportation. Also horses are more maneuverable and can fight in tighter spaces than a Car can. Also Maine Horses are largely used by farmers in Maine, so much so an estimated 1,000 horses used for agriculture and transportation in Maine. They also have a important uses in the military and although mechanization has largely replaced the horse as a weapon of war, horses are seen in Maine used in large numbers in military uses, mostly for reconnaissance and transport activities. However the Black Rain Coalition maintains an Elite Horse Mounted Reconnaissance and Calvary Force of about 40 Horses. Diet Maine Mountain Horses can consume approximately 2-2.5% of their body weight in dry feed each day. Therefore, a 1,000 lb (450 kg) adult horse could eat up to 25 lb (11 kg) of food. Foals less than six months of age eat 2-4% of their weight each day. Solid feeds are placed into three categories: forages (such as hay and grass), concentrates (including grain or pelleted rations), and supplements (such as prepared vitamin or mineral pellets). On average around 50% or more of the animal's diet by weight should be forages. If a horse is working hard and requires more energy, the use of grainis increased and the percentage of forage decreased so that the horse obtains the energy content it needs for the work it is performing. However, forage amount should never go below 1% of the horse's body weight per day. Forages Forages, also known as "roughage," are plant materials classified as legumes or grasses, found in pastures or in hay. Often, pastures and hayfields will contain a blend of both grasses and legumes. Nutrients available in forage vary greatly with maturity of the grasses, fertilization, management, and environmental conditions. Grasses are tolerant of a wide range of conditions and contain most necessary nutrients. Some commonly used grasses include timothy, brome, fescue, coastal Bermuda, orchard grass, and Kentucky bluegrass. Another type of forage sometimes provided to horses is beet pulp, a byproduct left over from the processing of sugar beets, which is high in energy as well as fiber. Sometimes, straw or chaff is fed to the Horses. However, this is roughage with little nutritional value other than providing fiber. It is sometimes used as a filler; it can slow down horses who eat their grain too fast, or it can provide additional fiber when the horse must meet most nutritional needs via concentrated feeds. Straw is more often used as a bedding in stalls to absorb wastes. Concentrates Oats are the most popular grain for horses. Oats have a lower digestible energy value and higher fiber content than most other grains. They form a loose mass in the stomach that is well suited to the horse's digestive system. They are also more palatable and digestible than other grains. Corn is the second most palatable grain. It provides twice as much digestible energy as an equal volume of oats and is low in fiber. Because of these characteristics, it is easy to over-feed corn, causing obesity, so horses are seldom fed corn all by itself. Also the Vault 98 Veterinarian caution horse owners that moldy corn is poisonous if fed to horses. Barley is also fed to horses, but needs to be processed to crack the seed hull and allow easier digestibility. It is frequently fed in combination with oats and corn, a mix informally referred to by the acronym "COB" (for Corn, Oats and Barley). Wheat is generally not used as a concentrate. However, wheat bran is sometimes added to the diet of a horse for supplemental nutrition, usually moistened and in the form of a bran mash. Wheat bran is high in phosphorus, so must be fed carefully so that it does not cause an imbalance in the Ca:P ratio of a ration. Once touted for a laxative effect, this use of bran is now considered unnecessary, as horses, unlike humans, obtain sufficient fiber in their diets from other sources. Supplements The average horse on good hay or pasture with light work usually does not need supplements; however, horses subjected to stress due to age, intensive athletic work, or reproduction may need additional nutrition. Extra fat and protein are sometimes added to the horse's diet, along with vitamin and mineral supplements. Soybean meal is a common protein supplement, and averages about 44% crude protein. The protein in soybean meal is high-quality, with the proper ratio of dietary essential amino acids for Horses. Cottonseed meal, Linseed meal, and peanut meal are also used, but are not as common. Habitat Upon being created in Vault 98, the Vault Dwellers of Vault 98 began to breed these horses. Many of these horses were domesticated, but inevitably some escaped the confines of pens and farm fences, and they took up residence in the Mountains of Northern and Western Maine, with a few living in the woodlands of Southern and Northern Maine or the Large open fields in South Eastern Maine. The earliest horses thrived in the Mountains and Woodlands of Maine beging specially created for the Harsh Mountians and Woodlands of Maine. Because Horses are herbivores, feeding primarily on grasses, shoots, seedlings and plants they thrived in the woodlands even more than they did in the Mountains. Native horses found abundant food supplies on the fertile forest floor of Maine and plenty of room to roam. However, the hardiest horses adapted to the Mountains of Maine and began to thrive in mountains, roaming from base foothills up to sub-alpine elevations, feeding on vegetation and drinking from spring-fed streams. Category:Creatures